Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK FREESIDE conquers the SUV world

In January 2008 the GLK SUV will be making its world debut at the Detroit Auto Show, providing a vision of the shape of SUVs to come.

The Vision GLK FREESIDE study, now close to series production, has a distinctive design and combines typical SUV characteristics such as robustness and off-road capability with refined motoring characteristics on "normal" roads. The AGILITY CONTROL suspension ensures excellent handling dynamics and agility, coupled with excellent ride comfort and pioneering active safety.

Stylistic borrowings from the forefather of all Mercedes-Benz SUVs give the Vision GLK FREESIDE a special positioning. Head of design Prof. Peter Pfeiffer put it in a nutshell, "With the G-Class we created a styling icon which has been the benchmark for almost 30 years. Combining this unostentatious design with the latest Mercedes-Benz design elements makes the Vision GLK FREESIDE a vehicle of genuine character."

Indeed, never before has there been such a distinctively expressive vision of tomorrow's compact SUV. Bringing together the angular original design with the typical design features found in all contemporary Mercedes-Benz passenger cars creates a thrilling allure. Here the company's unmistakable design idiom, with its interplay of taut lines and large, expansive surfaces, is combined with the typical body features of a functional off-road vehicle, such as short overhangs, an upright front end, slim roof pillars, a steeply raked windscreen and taut roof lines.

The distinctive looks of the exterior are seamlessly continued inside the SUV study. A thrilling stylistic contrast is produced by the juxtaposition of two formally different worlds. On the one hand the Vision GLK FREESIDE offers a high-quality and comfortable interior with impressive materials and precise detailing. On the other hand the contemporary treatment of the surfaces brings the latest in Mercedes design to the interior. The dashboard is the dominant element here, its wide, emphatically three-dimensional trim lending the generous interior an additional sense of width. The main focus is an elegant trim tier in matt, anthracite-coloured cebrano wood with white grain and a precision-tailored chrome trim strip. This element, with its rich contrasts, extends across the full width of the interior and divides the main body of the dashboard into three horizontal planes. The upper area is trimmed in black leather and encompasses the instrument cluster and the static COMAND APS central display. The lower area, like the tunnel and the footwells, echoes the colour scheme of the exterior paintwork. The seats and the lower part of the door trim are in specially coated white leather which, like the "diamond white magno" paintwork, has a matt gloss finish.



The occupants are protected by a comprehensive safety concept, based on a high-strength passenger cell and energy-absorbing deformation zones at the front and rear. The protective programme includes front airbags, sidebags and windowbags, plus a kneebag for the driver and crash-responsive head restraints.

The new 4MATIC drivetrain in the Vision GLK FREESIDE is one of the most powerful all-wheel-drive systems. Thanks to the compact, lightweight and friction-optimised basic design, with a longitudinally installed engine and block-design main transmission and transfer case, it offers various advantages over other systems with a transversely installed drive unit. The fuel consumption, for example, is around the level of a comparable, conventionally powered vehicle. The minimal vibration and noise levels rival those of today's luxury-class models.

The "G" button in the centre console increases the Vision GLK FREESIDE's aggression when required on rough terrain. Pressing the button activates a special transmission mode which varies the 7G-TRONIC's shift points, adjusts to "softer" accelerator characteristics and activates the ESP's off-road function. A manual shift mode is also available - gears are changed using the shift paddles behind the steering wheel. A further switch activates the Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR), which automatically maintains a preselected speed on steep downhill inclines.

Since the launch of the legendary G-Class in 1979, Mercedes-Benz has been a leader in the field of off-road vehicles. With the first generation of the ML-Class, which appeared in 1997, Mercedes-Benz marked out the contemporary sports utility vehicle segment. Including the latest generation of this model, which made its debut in 2005, this model series is one of the most successful premium SUVs in the world, with around 900,000 vehicles sold.

The Vision GLK FREESIDE now demonstrates how the expertise garnered in the course of creating this sequence of models can be translated into compact format. The new compact character, in other words, is in the best of company - just like the production model, which is to be launched in autumn 2008.